Spring coil feeding mechanism



Sept. 30, 1958 c. c. WAFUL 2,854,034

SPRING COIL FEEDING MECHANISM Filed Nov. 1, 1951 s sheets-snee: 1

Sept 3G, 1958 c. c. WAFUL v2,854,034

SPRING COIL FEEDING MECHANISM i@ mw Sept. 30, 1958 c. c. WAFUL 2,854,034

SPRING COIL FEEDING MCHANISM I Filed Nov. l. 1954 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 IN VEN TOR. (H4/QL E5 T WAH/L ww. BY@

United States Patent SPRING COIL FEEDING MECHANISM Charles C. Waful, South Gate, Calif., assignor to Spring Machinery Company, Los Angeles, Calif., a corporation of California Application November 1, 1954, Serial No. 465,977

3 Claims. (Cl. 140-92.8)

This invention relates to means for feeding the spring coils that are embodied in a bed spring by connecting rows thereof with helical connectors. The present invention more particularly deals with mechanism to insure proper overlap of the coils to be connected, and it is an object of the invention to provide such means.

In a machine for making bed springs, particularly in one such as disclosed in Patent No. 2,663,038, two rows of spring coils are arranged in such adjacency that the upper and lower convolutions of said two rows of coils may be connected by upper and lower helices fed in an endwise direction and rotated so as to helically encircle such `overlapped coil convolutions and, therefore, connect the two rows of coils. Unless the mentioned overlap is properly made, the leading end of each said helix may not clear said coil convolutions, but may accidentally abut the same. Such faulty overlap, if encountered by the helix end either above or below, will at the very least stop the machine through use of safety means provided, but may cause such twisting or buckling of the connector that the same may be troublesome from the viewpoint of both loss yof production and cost of machine repair.

After a row of spring coils has been connected up in the production of a bed spring, it is necessary to move the same in an ejecting direction while simultaneously moving or feeding a new row of coils into helical-connecting position. Another object of the invention is to provide new and improved mechanism for rst moving the made-up part of the bed spring and the new row of coils together while the same are spaced to insure nonlap, and then arresting the movement of the made-up part of the bed spring while continuing the feeding movement of the new row of coils to insure proper overlap.

In machines of the instant type, endwise pressure is applied to compress the coil springs, the same resulting in an expansion force tending to spread the upper and lower convolutions of the springs. It is a still further object of the invention to provide fixed upper and lower slide bars that are closer together on the entry side of the machine so that the upper and lower convolutions of a row of coils newly connected up and moved with the bed spring in an ejection direction will expand from their compressed condition suiciently to allow the upper and lower convolutions of the new row of coils to move within and overlapped with the convolutions of the newly connected-up row.

The invention also has for its objects to provide such means that are positive in operation, convenient in use, easily installed in a working position and easily disconnected therefrom, economical of manufacture, relatively simple, and of general superiority and serviceability.

The invention also comprises novel details of construction and novel combinations and arrangements of parts which will more fully appear in the course of the following description. However, the drawings merely show and the following description merely describes one em- ICC bodiment of the present invention, which is4 given by way of illustration or example only.

In the drawings, like reference characters designate similar parts in the several views.

Fig. l is a fragmentary vertical sectional view of a machine for making bed springs and embodying spring coil feeding machanism according to the present invention, the parts being shown in a position immediately prior to feed movement of the spring coils after two rows thereof have been connected by wire helices.

Fig. 2 is a substantially similar View with the parts in the position during which the helical connectors are being applied.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary plan view of the lower portion `of said machine, as seen in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary detail view showing the low slide bar and the position of the lower convolutions of two coils when being connected.

The present novel coil-lapping and bed spring feeding or ejecting means is shown at 10, the same being disclosed in a machine for making bed springs generally similar to the one disclosed in the patent above mentioned.

Said machine comprises, generally, similar upper and lower coil guide or slide means 11 and 12, respectively, and between which the rows of of spring coils are moved from the left to the right as seen in the drawings, similar upper and lower front control bar assemblies 13 and 14, upper and lower rear control bar assemblies 15 and 16, the assemblies 13 and 14 each carrying die means 17 for engaging the coils and the assemblies 15 and 16 carrying die means 18 cooperating with the die means 17, similar upper and lower toggle means 19 and 20 'to move the assemblies 13 and 14, respectively, and upper and lower means 21 and 22 to move the assemblies 15 and 16.

The machine, as indicated in Figs. l and 2, has sul;- stantially similar upper and lower portions. Therefore, the lower portion only need be described for an understanding of its operative cooperation with the means 10.

The slide means 12 comprises a plurality of longitudinally-spaced horizontal slide bars 25 that are connected to and supported by front and rear machine frame members 26 and 27 and an intermediate support bar 28. Intermediate its ends, each bar 25 is provided with a transverse groove 29 (Fig. 4), through which a helical connector 30 is adapted to be fed. Said slide bars mount spacer bars 31 that cooperate to define slideways that guide and hold aligned rows of spring coils 52 by guiding the lower convolutions 33 of the coils 32, substantially as shown in Fig. 3.

The above slide means 12 embodies a novel feature in the provision on the face forward of groove 29 of each bar 25 of a shim or plate 34 that is substantially the same thickness as the diameter of wire used in forming spring coils 32.

The above-described means 12 and the substantially similar means 11 are xed and so vertically spaced as to require that the coils 32 be endwise compressed in order to tit between the upper and lower slide bars. Thus, the coils seek to expand. Since the rearward ends 35 of shims 34 terminate in front of grooves 29 (Fig. 4), it will be clear that the spring coils, when slid off the ends of the shims, will expand to engage the surfaces 36 of bars 25. Hence, the end convolutions 33 of said coils beyond the shim ends 35 are spaced further apart than are the convolutions of the coils that are between the upper and lower shims. It follows, then, that said convolutions of the adjacent rows of spring coils 32 can overlap only in one waythe convolutions of the second row overlapping on the inside of the convolutions of the first row, as clearly shown in each of the four figures of the drawing. By such control of the overlap, the die means 17 and 18 can properly close over the overlapped portions ofl the convolutions (Figs. 2 and 3) and the helix 30 can be fed to effect interconnection of the overlapped convolutions without possibility of the leading end of the helix encountering said overlapped convolutions and, thereby, becoming snarled, twisted or buckled.

The die means 17 and 18 on the respective bar assemblies 14 and 16 are disposed between the slide bars 25, as clearly seen in Fig. 3, the respective bars 37 and 38 of said assemblies being arranged longitudinally of the machine, i. e., transverse to bars 25 and therebelow.

The means 26 and 22 need not be described in detail except to say that the former comprises cam means 39 to move the bar 37 up and down and cam means 40 to move said bar back and forth while moving up and down, and the latter comprises cam means 41 to move bar 38 up and down. Thus, die means 17 have a motion that, from the position of Fig. 2, is, first, in a forward direction, then, :both forward and downward, then, upward, and, finally, During this movement of the die means 17, the die means 18 move down after the initial movement of die means 17 and, then, move up just prior to the end of the rearward movement of said means 17.

To insure firm locking of the die means 17 and 125, the bar 14 is connected to the machine frame by toggle links 42, which are adapted to be locked in the straight position of Fig. 2 by the means 43.

The mentioned movement of dies 17 is utilized to au'- vance the two mentioned adjacent rows of spring coils simultaneously by entering the dies 17 into the convolutions 33 so that the same hooks over the rearward portions of the -convolutions of the second row of coils and encounters the forward portions of the first row of coils, all during the rearward movement of said dies thus moving said first row off the shims 34. It is during this movement that the present novel means is utilized for achieving the proper overlap of the convolutions, as shown in Fig. 4.

Said means 1li is shown as comprising a bracket 50 dependent from the approximate longitudinal center of bar 37, a shaft 51 connected to said bracket, as by a pivot 52, and extending substantially horizontally rearward, a guide support S3 for the rearward end of said shaft, longitudinally spaced fixed guides 54 for the support S3, and a set -of coil-engaging ejector members 55 carried by said support.

The guide support 53 is shown as a tubular bearing 56 through which shaft 51 slidingly extends, and a horizontal plate 57 extending laterally in each direction from and affixed to bearing '56. The ends 58 of plate 57 have support bearing on guides 54 and rearward movement of support 53 is limited by adjustable st-op screws 59 carried by guides 54 and engageable by said ends 58 of plate 57.

The guides 54 may merely comprise fixed angle members, as shown, the ends 58 of plates 57 being adapted to slide thereon between the positions shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

The ejector members 55 are shown as elongated fingers 60 that are carried by plate 57 and extend forwardly to rest upon frame member 27 between bars 25. Each said finger is provided with a push lug 61 arranged to encounter and push against the rearward portions of the convolutions 33 of any spring coils 32 in position thereabove.

A lost-motion and resilient connection is provided between shaft 51 and guide support 53. The same is here shown as a collar 62 on the shaft on the forward portion thereof,` a coil spring 63 between said collar and the adjacent end of bearing 56 of support 53, and a collar 64 on the rearward end of said shaft to limit the expansion of spring 67 and the rearward movement of support S3 relative to said shaft.

rearward to said position of Fig. 2.'

Another feature of the mechanism is the provision on front bars 37 of a pusher member 65.

During the time that die means 17 are pushing on the -convolutions 33 of the leftmost row of coils, the lugs 61 are pushing on a row of coils already connected by helices 30 to one or more other rows of coils. Hence, said row of leftmost coils and the row of coils to the right thereof are moving rearwardly (to the right) together. Therefore, said two rows of coils do not overlap while so being moved.

Toward the end of this rearward movement, stops 59 are engaged by the ends 58 of plates 57. This stops the rearward movement of lugs 61 at the time just subsequent to the mentioned row of coils to the right dropping off shims 34, and stops the rearward movement of said lastmentioned row of coils. The rearward movement of the leftmost row of coils continues, causing compression of spring 63 and resulting in the mentioned overlap, as shown best in Fig. 4, of the convolutions 33. Thus, by moving the connected rows of spring coils, i. e., the bed spring already formed, ahead of the coils to be connected up, and providing for lost motion between the means effecting such motion, insurance is had that the convolutions will overlap in the correct direction to allow dies 17 and 18 to close thereover.

While the foregoing has illustrated and described what is now contemplated to be the best mode of carrying out the invention, the construction is, of course, subject to modification without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is, therefore, not desired to restrict the invention to the particular form of construction illustrated and described, but to cover all modifications that may fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. In a machine for assembling a spring unit formed of a plurality of rows of spring coils tied together with helical connectors, the combination comprising first means for advancing a first row of coils to helix-connecting position, second means connected to and movable with said first means for advancing a second row of coils adjacent the first row and in spaced relation thereto, said second means comprising resiliently propelled coil pushing means, a stop engageable by said second means for arresting advancing movement thereof, and a lost motion connection between said first and second means to provide for continued advancing movement of said first means and said first row of coils after the arresting of the movement of the second means and the second row of coils, said continued movement producing an overlap of said first and second rows, said lost motion connection comprising a shaft connected to said first means, a bearing slidably receiving said shaft and connected to said second means, a collar element mounted on said shaft, and a coil spring disposed around said shaft between said collar element and said bearing member, said coil spring propelling said second means until arrested by said stop, said coil spring thereuponyielding to provide for continued movement of said first means.

2. In a machine for assembling a spring unit formed of a plurality of rows of spring coils tied together with helical connectors, the combination comprising first means for advancing a first row of coils to a helix-connecting position, second means connected to and movable with said first means for advancing a second row of coils adjacent said first row and in spaced relation thereto, a stop engageable by said second means to arrest the advancing movement thereof, and a lost motion connection between said rst and second means to provide for continued advancing movement of said first means and said first row after the arresting of movement of said second means and said second row, said continued movement producing an overlap of the rows of coils, said second means including resiliently propelled coil pushing means, said lost motion connection comprising a shaft connected to one of said first and second means, a bearing member slidably receiving said shaft and connected to the other of said first and second means, a collar element carried by said shaft, and a coil spring disposed around said shaft between said collar element and said bearing member, said stop limiting the advancing movement of said second means and said bearing member, said coil spring subsequently yielding during the continued advancing movement of said first means and said first row of coils.

3. In a machine for assembling a spring unit formed of a plurality of spring coils arranged in crosswise extending rows which are longitudinally aligned in edge to edge relation and tied together with helical connectors extending crosswise between the rows, a support between which the rows of coil springs are arranged in a compressed state, a first actuating means for engaging a first row of coil springs aligned on the support for advancing the first row of coil springs on said support toward a helix connecting position, a second actuating means operatively connected to and movable with said first actuating means for engaging a second row of coil springs to advance the second row with but in slightly spaced relation to the first row of coil springs, said second actuating means comprising a resiliently propelled coil positioning means, a stop engageable by said second actuating means for arresting advancement thereof when the second row of spring coils is in helix connecting posi- 6 tion, a lost motion connection between said first and second actuating means which enables continued advancement of said first actuating means after the movement of said second actuating means has been arrested upon engagement with said stop, means arresting movement of said first actuating means when the forward end portion of the terminal coils of the first row of coil springs overlaps the rearward end portion of the terminal coils of the second row of coil springs which has previously been stopped in helix connecting lposition, and an outwardly extending depression in the support in helix connecting position whereby upon entrance of said second -row of coil springs into said depressed portion in helix connecting position, the coil springs expand into the depression to position the terminal coils of the second row of coil springs outwardly beyond the terminal coils of the first row of coil springs to provide for a predetermined overlap between the terminal coils of the first' and second rows of coil springs, when in helix connecting position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,905,459 Gail Apr. 25, 1933 2,414,372 Frankel Ian.v 14, 1947 2,470,812 Gauci May 24, 1949 2,663,038 Gail Dec. Z2, 1953 

